A surgical retractor system comprising a retractor and an extractor is first of all able to keep an operating field/an incision open. For this purpose, the retractor is inserted into the surgical field from outside of a patient to be treated and spreader elements/expanding sections formed by the retractor are spaced apart. This causes the connective and/or muscle tissue to be pushed apart, thus expanding the surgical field. Secondly, the at least one extractor of the surgical retractor system or the surgical system is designed to compress the force-operated spreader elements at the end of an operation or operation step again in order to enable the retractor to be released from the patient.
A distractor, on the other hand, is generally a surgical instrument or device for the controlled spreading/pulling apart of body structures by mechanical action from outside (distraction). Distractors are used for example in trauma surgery, orthopedics and jaw surgery for the extension treatment of bones.
Prior art retractors are known to perform a distractor function in addition to the retractor function. German application no. 10 2015 100932 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses a stent retractor/distractor, i.e. a retractor with a stent structure. This has a radially flexible, expandable tubular jacket, which is divided in circumferential direction into at least two sections, namely a stiffening section and an expansion section with differing radial flexibility, which are connected to each other in a one-piece material bond. This enables the stent retractor/distractor to be adapted to a patient-side opening.
As an extractor, i.e. the instrument for removing/releasing the stent retractor/distractor from the patient-side opening, a compression forceps is disclosed in the above-mentioned application. This compresses the stent retractor/distractor until it is detachable. Compression forceps are usually present in operating rooms and undergo a complex disinfection cycle after each use.
The disadvantage of this prior art is firstly that the destructive effect of the compression forceps on the stent retractor/distractor varies from case to case, which often results in a time-consuming and unpredictable process of releasing the retractor from the patient-side opening. Furthermore, the use of the compression forceps results in a costly and time-consuming disinfection process after each use, which impairs the efficiency of the retractor system.
Last but not least, prior art technology involves that the prerequisites for an intra-operative removal of the retractor, i.e. during surgery, are so unfavorable that additional time and instruments have to be planned in order to ensure a scheduled procedure.